Kari T. Klaboe

Experience

Kari Klaboe has performed investigations on a wide range of structures, including steel, concrete, wood, and masonry. Ms. Klaboe’s experience includes seismic performance evaluation and seismic retrofit design of modern and historic buildings; engineering investigations of structures damaged due to natural disasters, fire, or deterioration, such as wood decay or corrosion; repair and rehabilitation design; and insurance and litigation consulting. Her work has included investigations of structures in the United States and internationally, including post-earthquake damage assessment of buildings and structures following many recent significant earthquakes worldwide.   

In addition, Ms. Klaboe is active in the development of codes and standards, with an emphasis on building code requirements for the repair and rehabilitation of existing buildings and structures.

REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

Earthquake Engineering

• Confidential - Worldwide: Seismic assessment of residential building inventories of varied construction
• Public Utility Substation - Southern California: ASCE 41 Tiers 1 and 2 seismic evaluations and strengthening recommendations
• Retrofit Guidelines - Berkeley, CA: Development of seismic retrofit guidelines for wood-frame buildings
• McGuire Building - Seattle, WA: Nonlinear seismic analysis of a twenty-five-story reinforced concrete building

 

Earthquake Damage Assessment

• Post-earthquake damage assessments of buildings of varied construction following earthquakes in Myanmar (2025), Turkey (2023), Puerto Rico (2019–2020), Mexico (2017), Napa, CA (2014), and Haiti (2010)

 

Failure/Damage Investigation

• Canal Gate - Central CA: Investigation of concrete cracking and construction troubleshooting for a newly constructed reinforced concrete canal gate
• Residential Tower - FL: Investigation of damage claims at a high-rise residential tower following Hurricane Ian in 2022
• Residential Dwellings - CA: Investigation of damage claims for multiple residential dwellings following completion of a large city-funded construction project
• Jet Fuel Tank - Andersen AFB, Guam: Investigation of a partial roof collapse at an above-ground, closed-top jet fuel tank

 

Litigation Consulting

• Office Building - San Francisco, CA: Investigation of damage claims for deep reinforced concrete foundations for a high-rise office building
• Mixed-use Building - Las Vegas, NV: Investigation of construction defects and damage claims for a newly built, high-rise reinforced concrete building

 

Repair and Rehabilitation

• Kilauea Community Center - Kilauea, HI: Strengthening design of an existing community center for use as a community hurricane shelter
• Office Building - Mumbai, India: Structural assessment and repair to address corrosion and chloride contamination at an occupied office building
• Concrete Parking Garages - Stanford, CA: Condition assessments of multiple concrete parking structures, including testing of post-tensioning tendons

 

Seismic Repair and Retrofit

• Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium - San Rafael, CA: ASCE 41 seismic retrofit design for a historic theater and auditorium
• Hillside School - Berkeley, CA: Seismic upgrade and rehabilitation of a historic building located on the Hayward fault
• Historic Structure - Hanford, WA: Seismic performance evaluation of historic steel and masonry building at a National Historic Landmark site

 

Structural Analysis

• Courthouse Square - Salem, OR: Investigation of slab deflections and load testing of a five-story office building and below-grade parking structure
• Residential Dwellings - HI: Code and design review for wind loading for single-family residential development

Professional Affiliations

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)
Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC)
Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC)

Registrations

Civil Engineer in CA
Structural Engineer in AZ, CA, NV

Education

Michigan Technological University
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, 2009

Purdue University
Master of Science, Civil Engineering, 2011